It is very miserable to live in fear. Many a misery arise from fear! How many a pounding heart, how many a trembling nerve, how many a sleepless night have come upon the fearful. Fear weakens our minds and bodies. It can be hard to bear. Hence, to be fearless in life is a great blessing.

Worst still, a fearful Christian is dishonouring to God whom he claims to trust. In His Word, God repeatedly says to all His children not to fear. Whatever be the cause, we must not let fear take root within us. We must get rid of it, and that is God’s will concerning us. God said to Abram, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” The Lord was saying to Abram that he should not fear anything that would intimidate or threaten him – whether it be the enemies which surround him, or the dangers which terrorize him, or the toils he may have to endure, or the sacrifices he may have to make.

Dear Christian, what is it that makes you afraid? Persecution? Poverty? Pain? Loneliness? Your fear might have been caused by some current adverse experiences, or some evil apprehensions. When we realize our insufficiency and inability to meet the struggles, problems, needs that are before us, we tend to lose all courage and become afraid.

God’s advice to Abram was to replace fear with confidence in God. God reminded Abram, “I am thy shield” and “thy exceeding great reward”. Fear will vanish from our heart if we take courage in God’s great and unchanging attributes and promises towards us. Courage comes with confidence in the divine presence, promises, provision and protection. If we acknowledge that the Lord our God is with us, we shall not be afraid nor be dismayed; we too shall be courageous.

We are not to make up our minds for defeat, but to march forward in the assurance of victory through our Lord. Our courage comes from our confidence in the divine mission, the divine law and the divine promise of help. Abram had left his familiar circumstances and was journeying to a place he had never been before. The only confidence he could have about his journey and destination was that God is the one who called him to go there. If he would forget God’s promise and presence, he would plunge into despair and dismay.

A brave heart is the fruit of a believing and obedient heart. Boldness in the face of uncertainty, insufficiency and inability comes with total yielding to God’s leading. Again and again the greatest exploits of courage have been summed up in the words “I must obey God”. Such courage is of the highest quality. It can never quail because it knows God’s purposes cannot fail.

One of the great wants of the day is courage - courage to confess Christ in every company and on all occasions, courage to hold fast to His every word, courage to do all His will, courage to follow wherever He leads. A dauntless spirit is what we need to see in Christians of our time. Because of the lack of courage that comes through absolute confidence in God, young people hesitate to give their lives to serve God full-time. Because of the lack of courage, many compromise their lives and join their worldly friends to walk in ungodly ways. Because of fear, many fail to do God’s will and serve Him with a cheerful spirit.

What is the remedy? “I will trust, and not be afraid.” Jesus says to us, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).